Way-too-early college bowl projections for 2017-18

North Texas participated in the New Orleans Bowl in four straight years from 2001-04, and the school hopes to get back to a bowl after attending the Heart of Dallas Bowl last year. Idaho took a huge step forward in head coach Paul Petrino's fourth year last season, finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2009.

The Cure Bowl goes into its third year this season. New Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell is off to a nice start after the departure of Tommy Tuberville last year. Coastal Carolina joined the FBS this year and picked up its first win in Week 1.

Despite a 1-11 season last year, Fresno State is optimistic with the hire of former Cal head coach Jeff Tedford. The Utes are in a rebuilding year after losing running back Joe Williams, but Kyle Whittingham's squad is off to a 1-0 start.

Middle Tennessee has made a bowl in three of the last four seasons and features one of the country's top offenses. Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun has his team rolling, winning 10 games in two of the last three seasons.

The Camellia Bowl has had three very competitive games in a row. Northern Illinois is coming off its first losing season since 2008, while Georgia Southern also missed out on bowl eligibility last season.

Temple struggled in its first game under new head coach Geoff Collins, albeit in a visit to Notre Dame. The Owls still hope for bowl eligibility this year, while Texas-San Antonio is riding the momentum of its first bowl appearance last season.

A brand-new bowl for 2017, the Frisco Bowl will have a matchup between the American Conference and an at-large team. SMU has slowly been improving under head coach Chad Morris and hopes for bowl eligibility this year. BYU has now been bowl eligible in 12 consecutive seasons.

Formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl, the Gasparilla Bowl will feature the American Conference vs. Conference USA. Memphis went 8-5 last season despite the loss of head coach Justin Fuente and quarterback Paxton Lynch. Marshall is hoping to rebound after a 3-9 season.

Entering its fourth year, the Bahamas Bowl has often featured high-scoring games. Toledo has made six bowls in the last seven seasons, while Arkansas State has made six consecutive bowls coming out of the Sun Belt Conference.

The P.J. Fleck era ended last year at the Cotton Bowl, but the team gave USC a better game than it wanted in Week 1. Boise State continues to be a highly competitive mid-major in the Bryan Harsin era, going 10-3 last season. Remarkably, Boise has finished with a winning record in 19 straight seasons.

After finishing winless in 2015, new head coach Scott Frost produced a bowl team last year at UCF. Ole Miss had major coaching drama this summer when Hugh Freeze was fired, but the Rebels still have enough talent to finish bowl eligible.

Army is coming off its first winning season since 2010 and took down SMU in the Armed Forces Bowl at the end of that season. Southern Miss is looking to make it three consecutive bowl appearances.

Frank Solich has built one of the most consistent programs in the country, with the Bobcats going to bowls in seven of the last eight seasons. Troy head coach Neal Brown went from 4-8 in 2015 to 10-3 last season.

Despite the departure of Tom Herman, Houston is hoping to maintain momentum as one of the best up and coming programs in the country under new head coach Major Applewhite. The Aztecs are undergoing a transition of their own with the loss of record-breaking running back Donnel Pumphrey.

Even without Patrick Mahomes, the Red Raiders offense looked spectacular in Week 1 under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Western Kentucky has had similarly tremendous offenses in recent seasons and hopes to continue the trend this year with new head coach Mike Sanford. This game would be an intriguing track meet.

The Wolfpack has been bowl eligible in three consecutive seasons and has a good shot to make it four this year. Michigan State had a shocking regression last year after making the College Football Playoff in 2015. The Spartans are hopeful of getting back to eligibility this year under Mark Dantonio.

Led by former Florida quarterback Will Grier, West Virginia should score plenty of points this season. Arizona is looking to rebound from a 3-9 season. West Virginia participated in the Cactus Bowl only two years ago, while Arizona has participated twice, including the inaugural game in 1989.

It's a basketball matchup for the ages with Duke vs. Kentucky, only it's on the gridiron. Neither team has ever participated in the Independence Bowl, though both have hopes for bowl eligibility this year.

Reshuffling at quarterback in Mark Richt's second season, Miami hopes to make further progress this year. The Gophers have high hopes with new head coach P.J. Fleck. Neither team has ever participated in the Pinstripe Bowl, which started in 2010.

The Foster Farms Bowl featured Utah and Indiana last season and will likely feature a Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup again. Both Northwestern and UCLA have very high hopes for the 2017 season. The Bruins got off to quite a start with an amazing comeback win against Texas A&M.

The Texas Bowl would certainly welcome the state's flagship school, while Longhorn fans would probably just be happy with a bowl appearance after how poorly the team looked in Week 1. Likewise, Mizzou fans could be in for a long season if the defense doesn't improve quickly and are going on two straight seasons without a bowl.

Fans of the spread option would certainly enjoy a Georgia Tech vs. Navy matchup. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson was the head coach at Navy from 2002-07, while current Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo served as his assistant head coach and offensive line coach during that time.

Formerly known as the Russell Athletic Bowl, among other names, the Camping World Bowl featured Miami and West Virginia last year. The Orange played in the bowl in 2004, while the Wildcats have never participated. Quarterback Jesse Ertz is hoping to cap off his career with a postseason win for K-State.

Washington State would be going back to the Holiday Bowl for the second straight season, where the Cougars lost 17-12 to Minnesota. The Hawkeyes have won the bowl three times but last participated in 1991. They're in a transition after losing starting quarterback C.J. Beathard after last season.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but the Alamo Bowl and college football fans would love to see a rematch of the 2015 game. TCU made an epic second-half comeback to win that game over the Ducks 47-41. Both teams are in a bit of a rebuild but have the offensive talent to put up points, as usual.

2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson makes Louisville an attractive invite for any bowl. The Bulldogs have a similar prize in quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Both schools have a history in the Belk Bowl. The Cardinals participated in 2011 and 2014, while Mississippi State set the bowl record with 51 points in 2015.

Virginia Tech has high hopes in the ACC this season. The Hokies last participated in the Sun Bowl in 2013, losing to UCLA. The Buffaloes are trying to show that last season's resurgence wasn't a fluke. Last year's Sun Bowl featured Stanford and North Carolina.

Michigan is coming off a huge win vs. Florida in Week 1. Arkansas is hoping to improve in the brutal SEC West this season. The Razorbacks lost in this bowl back in 2002.

The Arizona Bowl will feature a matchup between the Mountain West and Sun Belt. Both Colorado State and App State have made names for themselves in recent seasons with big wins, and each has high hopes in its respective conference.

The Fighting Irish have a critical year ahead for head coach Brian Kelly, who must win in 2017 to keep his job. Kevin Sumlin is in a similar situation and also potentially a dire one after the Aggies blew a 44-10 lead to UCLA in Week 1.

Oklahoma State has high hopes this season, particularly on offense, but star wideout James Washington is already playing through injury. Vandy returns a strong defense that should be competitive in the SEC East. The Commodores have some history at the Liberty Bowl, playing in the game in 2011.

Wisconsin had a close loss to Auburn in the Outback Bowl back in 2014, while Florida is the defending winner with a 30-3 victory over Iowa last season.

The season-ending knee injury for quarterback Deondre Francois is going to make things difficult for the Seminoles this year. They still have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. The Vols are in reboot mode after losing starting quarterback Joshua Dobbs. While Tennessee is familiar to the Citrus Bowl, it last participated in 2001.

Georgia is a natural fit for the Peach Bowl if it can earn the spot, though the Week 1 injury to quarterback Jacob Eason could hurt the Bulldogs' chances. South Florida hasn't looked great under Charlie Strong during the first two games of the season but is 2-0 and still features Heisman candidate Quinton Flowers at quarterback.

No Deshaun Watson, no problem. Clemson lost significant talent after its National Championship last year, including the star quarterback, but still has plenty where that came from. Penn State lost an epic Rose Bowl last year but has the talent to return to a big bowl game with quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley. 

Neither of these schools has ever participated in the Fiesta Bowl, but it would create quite a matchup between Gus Malzahn's offense and Chris Petersen's offensive stars. Washington had a disappointing loss to the SEC against Alabama in the College Football Playoff last year and would certainly like to show that it can handle the SEC elite.

Both of these teams have high hopes to reach the College Football Playoff. USC had some hiccups in its first game of the season but should be able to get on track with Sam Darnold at quarterback. The Tigers have reason to be optimistic with running back Derrius Guice and a strong defense.

The Buckeyes and Sooners are both past College Football Playoff participants, with Ohio State participating in 2014 and 2016, while the Sooners were the No. 4 seed in 2015.

Is it a foregone conclusion that the Crimson Tide will make the College Football Playoff? Possibly. This matchup would be a road game of sorts for the Tide if a Pac-12 team like Stanford is able to make it. The Cardinal looked spectacular in its season debut vs. Rice.

These two college football powerhouses would be disappointments if they didn't make the College Football Playoff. Bama is hoping to get back on top after a disappointing loss to Clemson in the championship game last year, while the Buckeyes' last National Championship was in 2014.